Page 64 of Dungeons and Drama

Lucas grins. “Can’t wait.”

“We’ll be short-staffed,” Dad replies, nodding at me and Nathan, “but the customers will have to wait. There’s no way I’m missing the chance to see two of my favorite people going to their first homecoming together.” He beams at us.

Everyone whips around to look our way. I force myself to give him a weak smile. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll come up front to help close in a second.”

“Sure, take your time.” He squeezes Nathan’s shoulder and walks away.

Sophia leans back, eyes flaring, and I flinch. “I didn’t know you two were going to homecoming together,” she says.

“Yeah…” Nathan turns to me.

He’s barely made eye contact with me since I refused to use my ability to help him, but suddenly his gaze is intense and unreadable. Does he want me to give Sophia some excuse about why we’re going together? It’s dangerous for him to let me explain rather than jumping in himself. All I want to do is snarl at her like an injured animal and growlmine.

But he’s not mine and I’m so tired of pretending otherwise. It’s officially time to step aside.

“We’re just going as friends,” I say, and gesture around the table. “A group of us are all going together, and I couldn’t get a date. Nathan was nice enough to come with me so Iwouldn’t be alone. Nothing more going on than that—Dad just has a vivid imagination.”

Nathan’s eyes widen in shock. Actually, everyone at the table is looking at me like I just pronounced I’m boycotting the Tony Awards this year.

I stand. “I should go help Dad.” I nod at Sophia and stride away.

There. It’s done. And I only feel a little like crying.

I grab the carpet sweeper in the front closet and start running it over the floor indiscriminately.

“Well,thatwas interesting,” Lucas says a few minutes later. The rest of the group, not including Nathan and Sophia, crowds around me at the front of the store.

“If they actually start dating, Sophia is going to chew him up and spit him out,” Anthony says to no one in particular.

I shrug. “It was time. We started this whole thing so he could date Sophia and she’s clearly interested in him now. I didn’t want to torpedo that.”

They exchange glances.

“I would have liked it a lot more if you two got together for real,” Anthony says. John nods. Hoshiko wraps an arm around my waist and squeezes me.

“Sorry, Riley,” Lucas says quietly. His face is so full of sympathy that I can’t stand it. I know my cheeks are red and my throat feels so thick and dry that I can barely speak.

“For what?” I push the sweeper harder. “This was the plan from the beginning. I flirt long enough for Sophia to get jealous and then he gets the girl. If anything, your reaction just shows what an amazing actress I am.”

Lucas looks skeptical. “Yeah, but…”

“No buts. It’s all good.”

Hoshiko looks at her phone and sighs. “I’m sorry, Dad’s here to pick me up.” She pulls me into a hug. “We’ll talk when I come over tomorrow to get ready, okay? Love you.”

“Love you.” I squeeze her tighter before letting her go. The others follow her out. I turn off my brain and mindlessly sweep.

Sophia strides out of the back room next, her hips swaying and her face beaming. She twirls her fingers at me in a little wave. “Bye, Riley!”

I blink at her as she leaves the store and my whole body grows heavier. There’s only one reason she’d be that happy.

Nowit’s done.

A moment later, a shadow falls by my right side and there’s only one person it could be. “Hey,” I say without looking up.

“Everyone left so fast,” Nathan says. “Usually they hang around until your dad shoves them out the door and locks it behind them.”

I shrug.

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